WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force last year launched a small satellite on a Firefly rocket in a demonstration of responsive launch, sending the payload to orbit just 27 hours after receiving launch orders.
That mission, named Victus Nox, was impressive, Gen. Michael Guetlein, vice chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force, said Jan. 19. But he cautioned that responsive space should be about more than setting speed records.
If a U.S. satellite gets taken out by an adversary, the default response cannot just be to speedily launch a replacement, Guetlein said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He argued that the Space Force needs to think more unconventionally about backup solutions.
The Space Force, for example, could pursue agreements with allies around the world to use their space assets, leverage commercial satellite providers or explore other alternatives to assure capability, he said. Being responsive means fundamentally changing how the Space Force approaches problems and how “guardians should think about tactically relevant timelines.”
“It’s not just about building hardware,” he said.
More Victus Nox-style missions are being planned in the coming years, including one co-sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. But Guetlein insisted that the idea of responsive space is to consider all options to meet the mission. “We need to broaden our thought process,” he said.
Guetlein noted that missions like Victus Nox also help to re-evaluate bureaucratic business processes and internal workflows within the Space Force. And they provide opportunities to learn how to use critical thinking, sometimes over established protocol.
Jason Kim, chief executive officer of Millennium…
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